"I still think I’m part of Yes": Jon Anderson teases the possibility of a reunion with former Yes bandmates Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman By Paul Brannigan published 29 January 24 Jon Anderson suggests that the door may be open for playing again with some old friends
“I just knew Trevor Horn as a pop producer. When he turned up with a guitar, I said, ‘Is that a prop, or are you going to use it?’ We just didn’t hit it off”: How Yes’ 90125 became a triumph – despite starting with “the worst jam in history” By Stephen Lambe published 24 January 24 After Drama resulted in the band’s complete collapse, a massive revamp seemed the only hope for any kind of future. But that epic challenge resulted in an equally epic album
"We would go out and he really never wanted anybody to know that he was a musician": The troubled life and lonely death of Peter Banks, the man once called "the architect of prog" By Paul Woods published 24 January 24 Guitarist Peter Banks gave Yes their name, designed their logo, and played on their first two albums – yet when he died, there was no money for his funeral
“By the time I swapped over the tapes I knew I was in the stinky brown stuff. Somebody said, ‘God help us’ … the budget for the cover was cut back”: How Rick Wakeman proved everyone wrong with The Six Wives of Henry VIII By Dave Ling published 23 January 24 His 1973 debut solo album was roundly hated by label bosses and reviewers – but it became a coffee-table classic and gave him freedom from Yes
"I could sense the end was near": Yes bassist Billy Sherwood recalls his "heartbreaking" final conversations with his hero Chris Squire By Paul Brannigan published 15 January 24 "We started talking all the time...The conversations got deeper and heavier"
“This is tightrope-walking without a net… it feels a bit like having him play a solo up close and personal, and who – other than certain former members of Yes, perhaps – wouldn’t want that?” Steve Howe’s Motif Volume 2 By Gary McKenzie published 3 January 24 15 years after the first instalment, the guitarist bares the bones of his writing and proves those bones are strong
“As hard as it was, and it was hard, nobody wanted to bottle out. We just knew we had a big landscape we could explore”: How Tales From Topographic Oceans became the most arduous project in Yes’ history By Sid Smith published 7 December 23 Used as a byword for musical over-indulgence, 1973 album fought its creators every step of the way – right down to its master tapes nearly being crushed by a bus
Classic Tales Of Yes European and UK tour dates announced for 2024 By Jerry Ewing published 6 December 23 Yes European and UK live dates include shows rescheduled from 2023
“The disc of unreleased live material truly captures the excitement of this line-up in full flight”: The Yes Album Super Deluxe Edition By Daryl Easlea published 5 December 23 Extended third LP, their first with Steve Howe, illustrates the amazing connection between musicians at the top of their game
”I was pretty much ordered to go and play with Steve Howe, Carl Palmer, Geoff Downes and John Wetton. I was told that if I didn’t, I’d be dropped”: Trevor Rabin’s challenging road to Yes By Stephen Lambe published 28 November 23 From a dalliance with NWOBHM and Asia to sudden career jumps across the ocean, he’s always been far more interesting and varied than many realise
"We realised that anything, from that moment onwards, was possible": The first time I heard The Beatles, by Jon Anderson By Nick Hasted published 28 November 23 Original Yes frontman Jon Anderson on why The Beatles were the original progressive rock band
Yes grace the cover of the new gift-packed issue of Prog, on sale now! By Jerry Ewing published 24 November 23 Plus Peter Gabriel, Fish, Edgar Broughton, Gong, Bruce Soord, Tiger Moth Tales, The Emerald Dawn, Southern Empire, Christina and loads more...
"Where all this repackaging and repurposing is headed is anyone's guess, but we're surely beyond the point of diminishing returns": The Yes Album (Super Deluxe Edition) By Fraser Lewry published 24 November 23 Yes's breakthrough album has been effectively re-repackaged, again: there's plenty of greatness included, but when is enough enough?
“I was interested in being on stage with people who are not only comfortable with not knowing what’s going to happen next, but would rather not know”: Bill Bruford’s journey through jazz and prog By Johnny Sharp published 8 November 23 The groundbreaking drummer’s bid to find a balance between Yes, King Crimson and Genesis on one hand, and his Earthworks project on the other
“The world of music was going through some serious changes and we were not embracing them”: how Yes’s Going For The One and Tormato almost ended things for good By Chris Roberts published 5 November 23 Punk rock, flying fruit and rollerskating accidents – how Yes went from triumph to disaster at the end of the 1970s
“With British crowds, it was: ‘We want Jon! Get Jon back!’ People were aggressive about it”: how Yes faced down the haters and made the classic Drama album By Chris Roberts published 29 October 23 Replacing Jon Anderson and Rick Wakemen with Buggles duo Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes was controversial – but it resulted in one of their most underrated albums, Drama
“There’s some good music, of course, but most of it was reshaped for expediency rather than for aesthetic reasons”: Yes compilation Yessingles By Mike Barnes published 27 October 23 Selection was made to fit on an LP, but as the band have released 41 singles so far, it’s only part of the story
“Keith Emerson said, ‘Why do I need to join Yes when I have ELP?’”: the story behind Yes’ delirious Relayer album By Chris Roberts published 21 October 23 Rick Wakeman was out, new boy Patrick Moraz was in, and Yes were about to make their most underrated album of the 70s
“Chris and Jon often didn’t get on… I didn’t want to be the leader, but to be a strong voice on the team, brave enough to speak up”: Steve Howe learned to play peacemaker in Yes By Chris Roberts published 19 October 23 Guitarist aimed “to be useful” in a band he believed had something to say
"The psychedelic scene was largely over by the summer of 1968, but that spirit of musical adventure was still running rampant": A beginners' guide to the origins of prog rock By Hugh Fielder published 10 October 23 Where on earth did progressive rock come from?
